INSTAAR Societal Outreach

Societal Outreach

Examples

Outreach websites launched by Detlev Helmig and colleagues:
Ozone & Snow | Trees & VOCs | Ozone & the Oceans

Research and outreach website by Craig Lee:
Ice on the Edge

Outreach website by Natalie Mladenov and colleagues:
Underground Safari

2005-2006 Outreach Summary

Over the last two years, societal outreach and informal educational opportunities have become a strong part of INSTAAR’s mission. The institute continues to present its popular Open House annually. Undergraduate students are often mentored through hands-on research projects. Outreach is facilitated through the INSTAAR web site, and with a variety of online initiatives for sharing and illustrating scientific information. On a day-to-day basis, INSTAAR members respond to inquiries from the public and the media on a broad spectrum of scientific matters that relate to INSTAAR’s research. They regularly give lectures and presentations to schools and civic groups and provide TV and radio interviews for the popular press.

In May 2005, INSTAAR continued its successful series of open houses by hosting 172 eighth-graders from Southern Hills Middle School. The energetic students collected samples and learned about relationships among stream flow, water quality, and insect ecology at nearby Boulder Creek. By visiting a few of the many labs at INSTAAR and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the students learned how materials such as bones and soils are radiocarbon dated, how climate controls the extent of glaciers and sea ice, and how past droughts are recorded in tree rings. In addition to the hands-on exercises, students learned about early human migration into Europe and the evolution of the Bering Land Bridge. The open house helped convey diverse aspects of earth science, use of sophisticated instrumentation and modeling, and the relevance of earth science for important global and local issues.

In April of the following year, INSTAAR again hosted 182 eighth-graders from Southern Hills Middle School. Similar to the past, the students were divided into groups to participate in lab tours, lectures, science games, and stream sampling activities. Students’ knowledge of snow and ice was tested during a fun quiz show run by staff of the adjacent NSIDC. They learned about ancient artifacts from melting glaciers in Alaska. And they “flew” along a threedimensional virtual tour of the Arctic, illustrating key findings from the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment.

INSTAAR continued strong involvement with several CU initiatives to directly involve undergraduates and minority students in scientific research. These included the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, the Summer Multicultural Access to Research Training (SMART) program, the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program, and others. For example, Detlev Helmig mentored seven students with research on volatile organic emissions, ozone, meteorology, and atmospheric toxins.

Bill Bowman has taken the lead role for a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the Mountain Research Station. The program has been funded by the National Science Foundation since 1994, and was just renewed with funding through 2010. Students work one-on-one with faculty mentors on their own research topics. Forty percent of the REU alumni have gone on to graduate programs, with another 20 percent working in research support positions. Thirty percent of the participants are from under-represented groups, increasing the access of minority students to careers in biological research.

Ken Mack (INSTAAR), group nine leader, shares his team spirit with several eighth graders, INSTAAR Open House, Boulder Colorado, April 2004. Photo: D. Lubinski (INSTAAR).

Two eighth-grade students answer questions about radiocarbon dating of bones, INSTAAR Open House, Boulder Colorado, April 2004. Samples measured in the radiocarbon lab are used to aid in understanding of geology, archeology, and climate change. Photo: D. Lubinski (INSTAAR).

Ted Scambos (NSIDC, National Snow and Ice Data Center) quizzes a group of eighth-grade students on their knowledge of Antarctica, INSTAAR-NSIDC Open House, Boulder Colorado, April 2004. NSIDC has joined open house efforts with INSTAAR for a number of years. The NSIDC game show in 2004 was very popular. The first student to hit their buzzer and answer correctly got a small prize. Photo: D. Lubinski (INSTAAR).

Diane McKnight (INSTAAR, in green) and Tiffany Fourment (CU Boulder Alum, with backpack) lead a group of elementary students on a field trip to Niwot Ridge LTER, near Ward Colorado, July 2004. The students participated in the trip as part of a two-week course at the Wild Bear Science and nature Center in Nederland, Colorado. Photo: C.A. Cass (CU Boulder).

Highlights for outreach to local schools include:

Several INSTAAR scientists—including Cory Cleveland, Natalie Mladenov, Craig Lee, and Bill Manley—helped to interview and mentor young students at the High Peaks Elementary School Science Fair.

Suzanne Anderson spoke to a junior elementary class at the Jarrow Montessori school about glaciers and climate change.

Diana Nemergut taught a Microbial Diversity course at Boulder Preparatory High School. She and Alan Townsend serve as board members for this unique and highly successful charter school, which requires college acceptance for graduation.

Diane McKnight and Karen Cozzetto reviewed curriculum for the McMurdo Dry Valleys Interactive CD Set for Students and Teachers, developed by Carol Landis at the Byrd Polar Research Center. One CD is designed for grades 8–10 and illustrates the research and ecology of the Dry Valleys region of Antarctica. An accompanying teachers’ guide contains supplemental information and videos about the streams, lakes, glaciers, and soil biota of the Dry Valleys.

Karen Cozzetto spoke with elementary students at a one-room schoolhouse in Jamestown, Colorado. She read from The Lost Seal book with slides to describe scientific research in the harsh environments of Antarctica.

Rebecca Anderson worked on an outreach effort with Sandra Laursen of CIRES Outreach and Karl Mueller and Alan Lester in Geological Sciences. They created large-format images of Colorado from Digital Elevation Models that were used in sixth-grade classrooms to teach students about landforms and landscape processes. They also led a teacher workshop in June of 2006 to incorporate the images into classroom activities, including a field trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. Highlights for outreach to the general public include:

Mark Williams headlined “A Discussion on the Future of Water in Colorado and Climate Change” with Chip Barry, head of the Denver Water Board. The audience of over 100 Denver-area residents included former Governor Dick Lamm.

Craig Lee gave a presentation at the Rocky Mountain National Park Research Conference on ice-field archaeology. His results on ancient bison skulls collected from melting ice patches caught the attention of local media.

Tim Kittel was a guest lecturer for two Semester at Sea programs, covering such diverse topics as “World Ecosystems,” “The Earth’s Climate System,” and “Conservation of Biodiversity Hotspots.” He was also an instructor for summer undergraduate research experiences in Brazil and the Dominican Republic.

Over the last two years, Bob Anderson has helped develop a new set of displays for the Yosemite National Park Visitor Center. A team of earth scientists consulted with the design team to upgrade displays with accurate information depicting the tectonic, igneous, and geomorphic history of the park’s landscape and geology. The completely remodeled Visitor Center will open on Earth Day in 2007.

Other highlights for 2005 and 2006 include:

The research of Mark Williams and the Niwot Ridge LTER project was featured in Chapter 12, “Altitude Addled,” of the acclaimed book Chasing Spring: an American Journey through a Changing Season.

Bill Manley released an online resource with geospatial visualizations of monthly climate change in Alaska. He has also assisted with development of an interactive, online mapping application for Arctic research (ARMAP.org).

A group of INSTAAR undergraduate and graduate students were interviewed by the Boulder Daily Camera while conducting research at the McMurdo LTER site in Antarctica. Their work on stream hydrology and ecology appeared in an article entitled “Examining a Frozen Desert.”

Astrid Ogilvie helped establish a hands-on archaeology/cultural heritage outreach project for middle schools in northern Iceland.

As president of the American Polar Society, John Behrendt helped organize the 50th anniversary of the last International Geophysical Year. Behrendt and several other INSTAAR scientists also helped with planning for the fourth International Polar Year (IPY).

David Anderson gave two presentations at the White House. The talks on abrupt climate change drew from INSTAAR research on ice sheets, sea-level rise, ocean circulation, and drought. Abrupt changes in Earth’s recent past suggest that climate may shift rapidly in coming decades.

Bruce Vaughn (INSTAAR) makes a batch of homemade ice cream using liquid nitrogen in order to feed the many INSTAAR and NSIDC volunteers who participated in the Open House for 345 students, Boulder Colorado, April 2004. Photo: D. Lubinski (INSTAAR).

A large group of eighth graders are led in a game of "simon says" while waiting for their buses to arrive after the INSTAAR Open House, Boulder Colorado, April 2004. Photo: D. Lubinski (INSTAAR).

See Also:

Science Spotlights (including other outreach examples)